About Hansik Korean Restaurant
North-Easties are lucky to have fantastic Korean food right in Kovan with Hansik Korean Restaurant (located in Heartland Mall) serving authentic barbecue, stews, soups & more.
Consider yourself warned – this place is VERY popular so be prepared to queue for about 30-40 minutes at peak hours like weekend dinner time (reservations are not possible).
Appetizers: Traditional Banchan & Steamed Egg
We got started with the banchan (free flow side dishes) which were pretty decent. There were about 6 side dishes in total. My favorite was the kimchi which was the perfect level of salty and not too sour.
Another side dish ordered and enjoyed very much was the steamed egg ($12). The egg was so fluffy and silky, with a savory finish from a dashi-like stock that it is steamed with. It went well with rice and just about everything.
For drinks – I would recommend the Korean Barley Tea. Sadly, it used to be free about 1-2 years ago but is now chargeable at about $4 for tumbler (enough for 4 pax). Sigh. 🙁
Mains: Barbecue, Stews (Chigae) & Soups
For mains, you must try Hansik’s Korean barbecue! We had the pork belly ($25) which was delicious – just look at that glorious layer of fat.
Hansik does the barbecuing of meat for you so you don’t have to deal with the mess. Make sure to let them know if you want your meat a bit more (or less!) charred.
Besides the barbecue, another winner would be the ginseng chicken soup ($19 for half chicken). This is easily one of the best, most authentic ginseng chicken that you can get in SG, tasting very similar to what you get in Korea.
The soup is so rich from the prolonged boiling and is the best part of this dish. I highly, highly recommend it. Half chicken is sizable enough for maybe 3 pax to share if you intend to get a bunch of other dishes.
We also had a seafood pancake ($15) which was just alright – not as crispy as I would like and on the smaller side with only 6 pieces. My favorite would still have to be Wang Dae Bak’s seafood pancake ($21) for its crisp edges and huge serving size.
Finally, the last dish to arrive was the army stew ($45). This impressive dish consists of spam, sausages, fresh meat, rice cakes, veggies, tofu, instant noodles and baked beans all stewed together.
All in all, Hansik’s army stew was pretty standard but nonetheless nice to have on a cold day.
The Verdict
Hansik is definitely not the cheapest around despite its’ heartland location. Even so, some dishes like the barbecue and soups are certainly worth the price for the great quality. You can probably skip the pancake though!
I would definitely continue to come back and brave the queue for the very authentic food. 🙂
Hansik Korean Restaurant
Address: 205 Hougang Street 21, Singapore 530205 (Heartland Mall)
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm / 5pm – 10pm
